Mama said they make me nicer

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My Tattoo

I don’t have any tattoos. It’s not a big deal or anything–probably my two biggest reasons are:

PAIN.

and an episode of “The Nanny.”

Years and years ago (has it been over twenty?), I watched Fran Drescher in “The Nanny.” I thought she was a very talented comedic actress. In one episode, she and her best friend since high school, Val, were talking about Fran’s tattoo she had gotten way back then. Fran’s mother had found out about it and was very upset. Fran showed it to Val to refresh her memory, and Val looked puzzled, “But Fran,” she said, “didn’t it used to be much higher?”

And that right there sealed it for me.

Gravity is not kind these days, my friends. I can only imagine if I had a tattoo succumbing to it along with everything else.

But sometimes I’m intrigued. I think some are lovely. One of my favorites is the dandelion with part of it drifting away, as though a gentle breeze has come by. Or birds. I love birds.

Recently though, I found one that I could really embrace.

You know, if it weren’t for the whole pain and gravity thing.

There is a rising up of beautiful people who are a part of Project Semicolon who, from their website—

YOUR STORY ISN’T OVER YET

Project Semicolon (The Semicolon Project) is a faith-based non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and love to those who are struggling with depression, suicide, addiction and self-injury. Project Semicolon exists to encourage, love and inspire.

Let’s just sit with that for a moment.

Your story, my story, all of our stories–they aren’t over yet.

Even though my heart breaks over hundreds of little things a day and all of the big things in the world are more than I can bear–my story isn’t over yet.

There’s more.

Which means–

there is hope.

Hope for healing. For courage. For listening. For growing. For being surrounded by good people. For loving.

THERE IS HOPE.

Did y’all hear that?

That is really, really great news.

And I could use some of that about now. Couldn’t you?

So if you see me out running–wait–let me stop laughing at that one–if you see me in town or at the coffeehouse or the pool or standing out in the yard waving the gnats away, and you see a semicolon on my wrist–

you’ll know why.

Because my story is not over. And maybe I’ve decided to use a Sharpie to remind myself.

And neither is yours.

Wishing you all a huge dose of hope in the knowledge that so many good things are still yet unwritten with your name right beside them.